What to Do When Movers Are Late

Movers are late for pickup

Moving can be stressful, and nothing can make a move more chaotic than realizing your movers are nowhere to be found at their scheduled arrival time. But stay calm. Professional movers are human, and they may be just running late due to traffic. Give your pros 15 minutes of leeway before taking action.

After that 15-minute window, here’s what you should do.

Confirm the arrival time

First, check that you have the arrival time right. Since you might have been communicating with multiple companies, reserving elevators and dealing with truck and equipment rentals, it’s possible that you mixed up the time. You should also confirm if your movers gave you an arrival window instead of an exact time, which may account for the tardiness.

Contact your mover and document your calls

If you confirm that your movers should have arrived already, call the company to ask for an update and an estimated arrival time.

One important tip for moving and coordinating with late movers is to keep notes on any calls you make in case you need to take legal action later. Make sure you include the time of the call and what you discussed in your notes.

Consider another mover

Listen to how your mover responds to the issue and plan your next steps accordingly. Professional movers should have reached out to you first if they were running late rather than waited for your call. However, it’s still a good sign if your pros apologize for the delay, offer a reasonable explanation and give you a specific ETA.

If you notice red flags, such as lack of remorse or a vague estimated arrival time, consider contacting another company to arrange an emergency move. If you live in a condo, co-op or apartment building, you may also want to contact your building manager to let them know about the delay.

Finally, use your time wisely. Waiting for movers can be frustrating, but you can use this time to wrap up any last-minute tasks on your moving checklist. These may include taking photos of valuables, labeling boxes or even packing last-minute small items that were in daily use as you packed everything else.

Set a cutoff time

If you decide to wait for your original mover, set a firm cutoff time that’s at least 15 minutes past the new ETA the company gave you. If your mover isn’t there by that time, refuse to continue working with them and contact a new mover.

In the case of a no-show, your contract should include recourse for recovering any deposits you paid and for cancelling services and future payments. Notify your original mover that you’ll be exercising those rights, and remain firm in your decision. Don’t forget to document this call, as well.

» LEARN MORE: 11 things to do when moving into a new house

Movers are late delivering belongings

Your movers might arrive at your previous home on time, but could be late in delivering your belongings to your new home. First, understand that delays are normal and sometimes unavoidable. Moving trucks often have to take alternate routes to avoid low bridges and tunnels, and traffic can be harder to navigate for larger vehicles. Some leniency is necessary.

If you run into long delays, though, where your movers are more than a half-hour later than expected, you should follow the steps below to stay organized.

• Check your contract for a delivery window: Again, your moving contract may include a window for delivery, which could account for traffic, human error and other issues like scheduling conflicts. Check your contract first, and wait until at least 15 minutes beyond the end of the delivery timeframe to escalate. Note that a guaranteed delivery time and date may differ from an expected delivery window. Pay attention to both.
• Contact dispatch: Reliable moving companies should contact you first about delays or issues with delivery, but if yours doesn’t, reach out to dispatch after the delivery window passes. Ask for the location of your belongings, an explanation for the delay and an updated ETA.
• Ask for updates in writing or take notes about your calls: Never rely on a phone call alone for documentation. Either take detailed notes about the call or ask for an update in writing from dispatch following the call.
• Track temporary living and expense receipts: In the worst-case scenarios, you may be on the hook for certain expenses if your belongings are severely delayed. Keep receipts for everything from take-out and dining to replacement clothes and lodging while you wait. Take notes on why your delayed delivery led to these expenses.
• Escalate the issue, if necessary: Contact your moving company to report expenses and stay updated on an estimated delivery. Escalate to a customer service manager within the company and then to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) if you aren’t getting traction working within the moving company.

Why movers are late

Movers can run into many predictable and unpredictable delays, all of which can contribute to a justifiable late pick-up or arrival.

Traffic, weather and road closures

There’s always a risk of unexpected traffic, inclement weather that makes driving dangerous and road closures that cause delays. These are more likely to be problems if you’re completing a long-distance move that spans several states, as weather and traffic can vary widely from area to area.

You can somewhat gauge the traffic and weather conditions if you’re also driving to your new home, but note that commercial trucks are slower to travel than passenger cars due to added weight, slower acceleration and different navigation due to low bridges and tunnels.

Truck breakdowns and federal inspections

Professional moving companies should take reasonable efforts to make sure their trucks are in good condition, but mechanical breakdowns are sometimes unavoidable. Movers may run into flat tires, engine problems and other issues that cause unexpected delays.

Commercial trucks also must stop at weigh stations and federal inspection areas along the route to verify payload and cargo, and to verify they’re abiding by fueling regulations. These stops are infrequent but can add up to significant delays for long-distance moves.

Hours-of-service driving limits

The FMCSA regulates the amount of time a commercial driver can operate a vehicle before taking a break, which could cause delays in delivery. Professional moving companies will understand these regulations and will include breaks when estimating delivery timelines, so this shouldn’t contribute to unexpected delays.

The FMCSA places the following regulations on commercial drivers operating moving vehicles:

• 11-hour maximum operation before a mandated 10-hour break
• No driving is permitted after 14 hours of being “on duty,” which may or may not include driving
• Mandated 30-minute driving break after eight hours of driving
• Maximum of 60 hours of driving in seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight consecutive days

Scheduling and staffing issues

Although proper planning can help reduce resulting delays, any professional moving company can run into unexpected scheduling and staffing issues. This is more likely to be the culprit of your delays if you work with a small, local moving company, as larger companies are likely to have additional drivers at the ready to fill in for call-outs.

A good moving tip is to go with a mid-size moving company, which often has the resources to avoid these kinds of delays but also tends to provide better customer service than national moving companies.

Shared loads and additional stops

It’s possible to save on moving services if you hire a mover with a shared load, meaning that your belongings are just a portion of the total cargo. Shared-load movers may need to make additional stops on the way to your new home, and each stop can lead to additional delays in your delivery.

Shared load moving companies will usually plan for extra stops and include them in your estimated delivery window, but some delays are unavoidable.

» FIND OUT: How to hire movers

When lateness becomes a contract breach

Your moving contract is the best place to see if and when mover tardiness becomes a breach of contract. A contract from a reliable moving company will include explicit details about what is considered a normal delay and what might be considered negligence or a breach of contract on the mover’s part.

The Bill of Lading is the primary legal document that establishes pick-up and delivery times, but it’s important to understand the different parts of a moving contract so you know where to look for information.

Your Bill of Lading should include all of the information you need to settle disputes and get a resolution for a delayed pick-up or delivery, so it’s the primary document you need on hand when contacting your mover or the FMCSA. The FMCSA can usually help you interpret legal language and binding contracts to get a resolution or compensation for delivery delays.

» LEARN MORE: Tips for moving cross-country